Serving God's Purposes in Our Generation (Acts 13:36b)

Fear – A New Headline for Today’s News

Three newspapers I regularly read seem to have copied headlines from each other this last week of September 2008. Key repeated words include: crisis, panic, turmoil, woes, and fears. Recurring phrases in editorials include “day of reckoning,” “uncertain fate,” and “runaway greed.” There has not been a global financial crisis like this one in recent memory, especially since the whole world became financially integrated. Some experts are terming the crisis a “financial tsunami,” or a “financial 9/11,” though no losses of life have (yet) been reported with the crunch, squeeze, and downturn. Yes, there have been losses of job, confidence,…

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,When the funds are low and the debts are high,And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,When care is pressing you down a bit,Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit. Life is queer with its twists and turns,As every one of us sometimes learns,And many a failure turns about,When he might have won had he stuck it out;Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–You may succeed with another blow. Often the goal is nearer than,It seems to a faint and faltering man,Often…

Understanding The Chinese Government Mentality

I thought my view of India-China relations was my utterly singular. So I am a little astonished to see that it is shared by Arun Shourie - with whom I rarely find myself in agreement! His latest book, just published is: ARE WE DECEIVING OURSELVES AGAIN? The reference is to India's self-deception in response to Chinese assurances of peaceful intent in relation to India between roughly 1950 and 1962 (when the Chinese invaded India). China has astonishingly risen to world power status in some 20 years. Equally rapidly, as I have suggested in this Blog, it may find itself descending again,…

Persecution of Indian Christians in Orissa, India

“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”  Hebrews 13:3 The body of Christ in Orissa is currently undergoing severe persecution.  Followers of Jesus are being beaten, burned in the streets, hacked to pieces, and forced to hide in jungles. Churches have been burned to the ground, pastors have been assaulted, and nuns have been gang raped. Worse, the violence against Christians is spreading to other parts of India. Pray for the persecuted bride of Christ in Orissa. 7 Mile Road Church  

Modern Life Leading To Depression

The newspaper article "Modern Life Leading To Depression" (DC 15 Sept 2007) caught my attention. Every one wants to live ‘fully’ and ‘meaningfully’ and yet…urban life just falls apart.  Computers and Internet (both emails and websites) have become our worst enemy.  They assaults our personhood, assaults our imagination, affect our attitudes and worse, takes away quality time with the family etc. The article stated that there is a direct corelation between increased hours of Internet usage and depression. We drove our kids to computers and even felt proud when they were at it. Now, we trying to woo away kids…

iCare Consultation – First Ever South Asian Christian Counselors Consultation

It was a momentous gathering. For the first time ever, South Asian Christian Counselors came from all across United States and Canada to Chicago to talk about our community issues. Over the last weekend, we had a consultation of Social workers, counselors, clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, lay counselors, pastors, community leaders and theologians. See www.iCareCounseling.net The consultation was organized by Parivar in patnership with Agape Intl. It was intended at identifying caregivers within Asian Indian community in North America. So we focussed on networking, sharing and learning from each other. Besides plenary talks by Dr. T.V. Thomas and Dr. Paul Meier,…

Al's Revival

1. started taking guitar lessons again. it's been great and Al's loving it. all those frets i never bothered with all these years finally getting a bit of attention. good times i tell ya. my hands are getting a workout and my callouses are better than ever! not to mention, it's not just about knowing a whole bunch of chords and strums now, i'm actually understanding the guitar. it's amazing! i had been wanting to take some lessons for a while cuz my guitar playing was kinda getting to be in a rut. i felt like i wasn't learning anything…

God’s Disappointment

Many churches today produce wild grapes. “Wild grapevines are often considered a nuisance weed, as they cover other plants with their usually rather aggressive growth” (Wikipedia)* Is this not a picure of today’s mainline churches that have gone off focus? They have had agressive but untidy growth. Masquerading as Christians at the top, they have diluted the pure doctrines and introduced all kinds of errors into church life. Pluralism and syncretism are the order of the day. In the name of “tolerance”, many mainline churches have strayed from the path that produces good fruit. In both the areas that matter,…

Are You Carrot, Egg Or Coffee ??

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again........ A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as though just as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the…

Article 355 Is Believed To Be Issued By The Centre Against Orissa To Ensure That The State Government Carry Out Its Constitutional Responsibilities

New Delhi: The Union government has warned the government of Orissa, the scene of violence against Christians over the past two weeks, invoking a rarely used constitutional provision that typically precedes the declaration of Central or President’s rule in a state if it goes unheeded. A senior minister of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, or UPA, government in New Delhi told Mint that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had, on 4 September, personally asked home minister Shivraj Patil to issue a warning to the Orissa government led by the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) under Article 355 of the Constitution. The minister…

The King Is Dead, Long Live the King: On the Fall of Investment Banking (And Its Potential Rise)

So Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS), the last surviving global investment banks, have become regulated banks! That is to say, they are now subject toregulation by the Fed. In addition to giving GS and MS the ability to take deposits from savers, thus reducing their reliance on funding in the short-term repo market, both GS and MS can now take advantage of loans from the Fed against the various kinds of collateral that are acceptable to the Fed. It is worth recollecting that investment banking started as a separate industry following the consensus, after the Depression, that the…

Persecution of Christians in India

Earning Our TrustPersecution of Christians in Indiaby Charles Colson (September 19, 2008) If you were asked to name a country where it is dangerous to be a Christian, you would probably name an Islamic country or a dictatorship like China. You probably wouldn't name the largest democracy in the world, India. Yet some of the most horrific persecution of Christians is taking place in its state of Orissa. On August 23, a Hindu nationalist known as "Guruji" was shot to death along with four of his followers. While Guruji had many enemies and was mostly likely killed by Maoist guerillas,…

Pray More! Appropriating God’s Power

And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint, Luke 18:1 The human body is a most complex and supreme creation. God’s hand is manifest in the intricate interplay between the various body cells, organs and biochemical reactions that have to go on to maintain a healthy life. Every body part has a distinct and unique function. In order for our body to be healthy, all our organs have to do their job correctly and at the right time. So it is not surprising that the apostle Paul used…

Just A Robot

1. honesty, yet again, has come back to screw me over. you'd think that at least after the last post, i'd be more inclined to indulge in the fine art of fibbing. unfortunately, childhood lessons of obedience have developed deeper roots than previously imagined. and now my life is as shitty as ever. 2. it sucks to have all your decisions made for you--to never have the luxury of choosing, to never have the chance to seek God for the answer and instead have people just decide on everything for you. and if you ever make the horrible mistake of…

Transplant

What to do when you perceive that Christ is no longer the cornerstone. The gospel of Christ is no longer the focus; instead the gospel of the American mega-church culture has taken over. I understand that not all churches are perfect. They are made-up of flawed people just like myself. Little things, inconveniences and offenses don't bother me. It's the major things that are worth paying attention to. I faced many problems in my past so I'm not easily offended by petty inconveniences. How about having major doctrinal disagreement with your church? I wanted to leave but wanted to for…

Western Media Coverage Of The Ethnic Cleansing Going On In Orissa And Other Parts of India

Comment regarding my post, on Western media coverage of the ethnic cleansing going on in Orissa and other parts of India.Dear Prof. Guptara, I am surprised to learn that the killing of Christians and destruction of their habitat is considered by the Western media to be by what you term"religious nutters". In fact it is a planned attack on Christan's by VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) and Bajrangdal on the tribal Christians in Orrisa because these tribals and backward class people have found freedom in Christianity from the caste system and from bondage to the upper castes. The upper castes, who…

Sangh Parivar in Orissa – A Fact Sheet

The Hindutva private army in Orissa, and its bloody track record. [1964-1998] Since 2000, the Sangh has been strengthened by the Bharatiya Janata Party's coalition government with the Biju Janata Dal. In October 2002, a Shiv Sena unit in Balasore district declared the formation of the first Hindu 'suicide squad'.In March 2006, Rath stated that the 'VHP believes that the security measures initiated by the Government [for protection of Hindus] are not adequate and hence Hindu society has taken the responsibility for it'. (In June 2008, Bal Thackeray said, "Hindu suicide squads should be readied to ensure existence of Hindu…

The Business of Faith

There was a time the Christian missionary spread the word of god in a simple and direct way. He would step off a boat, make friends with locals and after years of effort, count a sizable flock. Cut to 2008 and it's a different scenario altogether. Church planting agencies, as they are called, have taken over the evangelical role. They ensure that growth targets are set and new churches built. There is quantifiable growth. In the four years from 2003, 22 new International Churches of Christ were built. The Adventists has concrete plans to build 500 new churches too. The…

Persecution In Orissa

“Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”  Hebrews 13:3 The body of Christ in Orissa is currently undergoing severe persecution.  Followers of Jesus are being beaten, burned in the streets, hacked to pieces, and forced to hide in jungles. Churches have been burned to the ground, pastors have been assaulted, and nuns have been gang raped. Worse, the violence against Christians is spreading to other parts of India. Pray for the persecuted bride of Christ in Orissa.

Attacks Against Indian Christians: What Is Our Reponse?

I am appalled at the rampant insensitivity in most Indian-Christian responses to the gross human rights violation in Orissa. In 1999, We didn’t know how to respond to the attacks against the Church in Gujarat. It’s been almost a decade now and We still haven’t learnt to respond to attacks against hapless tribal christians. We can only view it ‘religiously’. We speak about the glories of martyrdom. We resort to jingoism and claim it to be signs of an impending explosion of churches. We moralize and ask our brothers to forgive the perpetuators. We treat these ghastly acts as events that would bring revival. Sadly, we do everything but stand alongside our brothers and sisters in Orissa.